Last



June 29 1926. 1,590,737

` D. R. COOPER 4 LAST Filed March 14, 1925 l 2 Sheets-Sheet l ff WWW@June 29 1926. 1,590,737

D. R. COOPER LAST Filed March A 2 sneets-sheet`2 Patented June Z9, i926.

Unirse; stares DAVID ROBERT COOPER, OF ULTIMO, NEAR SYDNEY, NEW SGUTI-IWALES, AUSTRALIA.

'an i i ridi LAST.

Application filed March 14, 1925, Serial No. 15,472, and in AustraliaSeptember 4,:1924.

rllhis invention relates to improvements in and connected with lasts,and more particularly to lasts of the type that are adapted to beextended and contracted to permit them to be readily and convenientlyinserted into and removed from articles of footwear made thereon, thuseconomizing 'time and labor and minimizing damage to the boots or shoesin manufacturing operations A last according to the invention isspecially durable in construction, and it comprises a fore part, alongitudinally movable heel part permanently connected to the fore part,a detachable intermediate part ofV wedge formation and means for lockingsaid parts to restrain them against independent movement when assembledand the last extended.

Rigidly secured inthe fore part of the last is the forward end of aconnecting plate having its rear end slidably accommodated in a recessformed in the heel part. The

heel part is movable on said connectingl plate, Within predeterminedlimits,to and from the fore part to permit required contraction andextension of the last. After de` tacliment of the intermediate part, thesaid heel part is pivotal on the connecting plate and when advancedtowards the fore part it is permitted to have a slight upwardkcollapsing movement which facilitates the contraction of the last topermit ready removal from the footwear.

The replacement of the wedge-shaped intermediate part forces the heelpart rearwardly from the fore part, and simultaneously impart-s slightpivotal movement in the opposite Vdirection to said heel part, thusextending the last in correct manner when the assembled parts arepositively locked in rigid interlitted position.

Associated with the lastis a lasting block having its upper surfaceappropriately shaped to support the footwear (not having the heelaffixed) when the last is being extended therein, its purpose being topre clude damage being done t-o the footwear by the operation ofextending the last.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein z- Figure l is aperspective View of the improved last.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the last as extended and with itscomponents locked together.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section showing the last contracted followingthe removal of the intermediate part of wedge formation.

Figure l is a central vertical section of the intermediate wedge partdetached from the fore and heel parts.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of a modi lied form of the invention. v

Figure 6 is an end view of the intermediate wedge part of the sectionallast seen in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in plan showing the sectional last withthe intermediate part fitted in position. l

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a furthermodified form of last.

Figure 9 is an elevationshowing a shoe in the course of manufacture withcontained last suportedby a lasting block.

Referring to Figures l to 4:, the last comprises a fore part 2, a heelpart 3 and a detachable intermediate part 4:. recess 5 is formedcentrally in the rear portion of the said fore part 2 to receive theforward end of a. metal connecting plate 6, which is rigidly aliixed inposit-ion to the said fore part by pins or rivets 7.

rlhe heel part 3, having a metal platel inset 8 therein to preventdamage to that section of the last by nails in heeling operations isconstructed with a recess 9 to freely accommodate the rear enlarged endof the connectingplate 6 wherein alongitudinal tapering slot 10 isformed. Passed transversely through the heel part 3 and through thetapering slot l0 is a hinge pin 11permanently connecting the said heelpart with the plate 6 that is immovably secured at its forward end tothe fore part 2 of the last. This means of connection allows the heelpart, after detachment of the intermediate part l, to be slidably movedon` said connecting plate to and from the fore part 2, the degrec oflongitudinal movement permitted in either direction being determined bythe length of the slot 10.

The pin l1 by passing freely through the tapering slot l() also providesa pivotal connection between the heel part 3 and the con necting plate6. The intermediate wedge part i having been removed from the extendedlast, the said pin is initially at the rear enlarged end of the slot,when the heel part 3 is capable ofrbeing conveniently advanced towardthe fore part 2. As tliesaid pin ap- A vertical l inoval of the contproaches the forward narrower end ofthe slot, the said heel part iscapable of slight Vpivotal movement Vpredctermined lby the depth of therecess'Q and the depth of the enlarged end of the`A connecting plate 6),

such pivotal movement facilitating the reracted last from the article offootwear. Y Y

Replacement of saidintermediate part imparts rearwardAs'iidable'niovC-Sment to the i heel `mrt 3 on the connecting olate 6causin y J 7 v c the pin l1 to be rmovedto the enlarged end of thetapering slot l rlhe heel part is then permitted 4slight pivotalmovement in the'l opposite direction to bring the assembled last partsin correct relationship, when the upper and lower edges of the rear endof said connecting plate bearvagainstthe Vmetal plate 8 and the bottomofthe recess 9, respectivelyT-sfee Fifure 2.

Thedet'achableintermediate 'part t of the last is substantially ofinverted T-shape compri'singa wedge-shaped vstein or shank hav- ,lastyis subjected to `working stresses.

ing "at its YupperY end two opposite horizontal member-s 12 and 113, andprovided with a metal reinforcing 'platz-,'12s A S101; 1iis forvrnedfin`the lower end of said wedgesha'ped'stem or shank 'to' enable it to litsnugly over that portionof'th'e connectingpla-te 6 disposed between 'theopposed 'faces of the ffore'and'lie'el I,parts 2 and f3. i Saidconnectingpl'ate by fitting in said slot thus addi- Y tionally serves toprevent llateral ymovement ter'flyhe'ad20 to bear against a metal washer2lv seated in said memberr 312. lV hen the screw v'is screwed into thefixed nut 15 kthe components of the extended lastare positively V lockedtogether, wh-ile permitting ready 'detachment 'of Y the intermediatepart 4 when the last Vis to be contractedfor removaljfroiii the articleof footwear.

The'jheel part B has'a Ymetal lined hole 22 adapted to register with a`hole '23' bored in the rear horizontal mem-ber lof the detachab'le'intermediate "2l 'and' receive xthejirsual jack-pin 'usedinl'stingoperations. s

The 'p'rov'ision in a sectional last. of an intermediate wedge-shapedpart fo rined with opposite'ly disposed lnie'mbers adapted :to abutcloselya'gainst 'the lfacfes of the fore Aand heel parts andIreiifforced with a" metal .plate as described lensures saidintermediate part and the extended last having the necessary strength tosatisfactorily withstand all the strains that are developed in shoemanufacturingoperations. The junctioning corners 24 may berigl'it-angled or given that curvature which in operation `is found most`desirable to prevent fracture of the last parts under conditions ofrough'usage, particularlywhen the last is being extended within a bootorshoe by forcing apart the ffore and heel parts 2 and 3 by the actionof the wedgeshaped member 'of the intermedi-atepart 4.

According .to the modified construction of last illustrated iii-FiguresV5, 6 'and 7, the intermediate part 4 is ofdovetail formation. It hasvkits opposite faces 25 4and 26 ofsubstantially V-shape and designed tointerfit the correspondingly shaped ends `27 -and 28 of the fore partand heel p-arts,'thus ensuring correct alignment ofthe last 'sections'when assembled and extended. The screw I19 may be'passed inapproximately a horizontal` plane through the three parts ofthe last 'toengage at it-s rear end -a nut 15 .fitted .inthe-A heel-part tocorrectly :look together the components of the last when it is extended.The screwl)7 may have its head V2O seated 'a recess 29 formed at theinstep portionof the fore kpart'2 of the last,- anfd vavcord 30.permanently connects the detachable intermediate par-t e with the heelpart 3 to .prevent its l1nis} lace1n'entf or loss in manufacturingoperations.

Referring to 'Figure illustra-ting :a sectional last Lprincipallyforluse in the Vman-nfacture of childrens footwear, whenextended itscomponents are restrained against irndependentmovement by tape-reddowels 21 on'the lhorizontal members 1.2 and 13 of the T-shapedintermediate ,par-t 4 of the last, which dowels fit into tapered-holes32 Aformed in the fore and heel parts -2'an'd-3, respect-ively, of thelast. v

preferably constructed of Wood.,facedwith yaluminium or other metal, but:which Jinay be of .all-metal `oonstimction. This block has its uppersurface curved at 534i .and 35 -to-iseat the soleand waist port-ions-o-f a 'boot or shoe A in the 'course of manufacture, :and a straight y`to the article of footwear.

`that Ido claim is:'- l'1. A last comprising Ia .forel-part, a Aoonloslnec'ting plate secured to and extending rear- I)130 wardly from saidfore part, said plate having a tapered slot at its rear end, a heel parthaving a recess slidably accommodating the slotted end of saidconnecting plate, a hinge pin on the heel part passing through saidtapered slot and a detachable intermediate part slotted to fit over saidconnecting plate.

2. A last as in claim l and wherein the intermediate part iswedge-shaped to cause the hinge pin to engage the larger end of the 10 ptapered slot in the connecting plate, when the last is extended.

3. A last, as in claim l and wherein, the

intermediate part has oppositey arranged horizontal members vto itbeneath and sup- 15

